Camouflaged Wings
by Sora no Kioku
Summary: RikuSora. Riku was a prince who was loved by all his people. Despite that, he hid a secret from everybody. But Sora is... different. He has his ways of getting to Riku. Discontinued.


_Long, long ago there was a prince who was loved by all of his people. But he hid a deep, dark secret he dared not tell anyone. His people spoiled him endlessly, giving him everything he wanted. They even gave him things he never asked for. Sometimes he became annoyed of this and just ran away from everything. But he had one person to turn to, one person who would always listen and get him things only if he was asked to._

The young prince wore silken white robes lined with gold, the robes looking similar to a loose kimono that was made to drag on the ground slightly if he were to stand up and walk. On his right ankle, a thin golden chain hung loosely to serve as an anklet, for his wrists were already occupied by three thick golden bracelets. He sat upon a wooden throne with a gold cushion underneath him, the cushion lined with gold tassels. Sometimes the silver-haired male couldn't help but wonder why the makers had made the back of his throne so high and lined gold. Everything seemed to be lined in a golden color, no matter where he looked in the palace, save for the corridors which were just a beautiful marble white.

Unlike many other princes from the various countries bordering his, he wore no circlet upon his head. He had always complained, saying that it had hurt his head because of how heavy it became if he was stressed, which was quite often. He rarely ever spent time on his hair; for he thought that nothing had to be done with it. It still fell in the same way it always had, no matter what he tried. The bangs always covered his eyes; the back always grew out to about shoulder-blade length before slowing down its growth. And no matter what, it always framed his face. Other than his hair, he spent as little time as possible on his looks, usually throwing on something. But when the servants complained, he would always leave it up to them to dress him up.

Despite that, he still managed to be in a very royal fashion, though he was forced to on many occasions. And today, he had to attend to the people's needs and listen to their complaints and what was going on. Because of that, he had to wear exactly what he was wearing, which he had chosen himself. He knew that if he wore something different, the servants would throw a fit and force him to change. However, he had many complaints he dared not to speak.

For one, it was way too hot. And the chirping of the cicadas coming in through the open palace doors didn't help much, either. 'The sound of summer', he had always called them. When he was little, his mother had told him of the cicadas who had always brought the summer with their chirping. Along with the summer came the heat, which was the thing annoying him the most. He didn't mind the cicadas; it was the heat that got to him. His robes were thick and meant to keep in heat, causing the sixteen-year-old to have to spread his arms and legs wide every time the warm wind swept through the opens doors and strait to his throne. And, like every teenager he knew, he would make a sound much similar to 'ahhhh' every time a cool breeze blew past and played with his hair and cooled his heated skin.

Second, the day had been going much too slow. The guards had been standing at attention in a full suite of body armor by the throne, their spears against the ground with their visors down and shields up. If the sun were to go right through the large palace doors, the rays would bounce right off the armor and practically make the whole room light up as if a fire were burning. The prince could swear that the knights of the Royal Guard always polished their armor, whenever they weren't wearing it; not only their armor, but their swords as well. If one of the knights had taken out a sword in daylight, they could very easily blind their enemies, maybe even their own allies if they didn't pay attention. He could only wonder how the Royal Guard could even win a war with that shiny of weapons and armor.

Anyway, that wasn't the reason why the day had been going to slow. The prince had been awake since the sun had risen this morning and only three villagers had come in to see the prince, most of them being at daybreak when their livestock wouldn't get out of the barn. After that, none of the other commoners had come with problems. Things were running smoothly, which meant that the prince had nothing to do whatsoever. He couldn't leave; he had already tried that. The guards just 'escorted' him back to his throne and told him that he should wait for the commoners to come.

The prince rolled his aquamarine eyes, crossing his arms stubbornly as he glared daggers at the knight nearest to him. He knew the glare would go unnoticed due to the fact that the guards were most likely weren't paying attention to him unless he had moved, but he didn't care; it was the thought that counted, after all. _'They'll come. Just wait,' they said. 'You need to be patient,' they said,_ he thought sourly as he continued to glare at the soldier that seemed to be dozing off then snapping back awake.

The teenager scoffed at the how the guard was rocking back and forth slightly before shifting and clearing his throat, the sound echoing throughout the whole room. The prince jumped at the sound of metal crashing against the floor and whipped his head around to see a guard getting up. The teenager couldn't help but snicker, knowing very well that the other had fallen asleep, like he was waiting for the other soldier to do.

He fell silent once more as the guard looked at him. He pointed at the guard next to him, mouthing 'it was him' to the one looking at him. The guard looked at him for a moment before the visor turned towards the guard the prince had pointed at. The prince smiled smugly before the guard looked away completely, seeming not to notice the prince's smile. Sure, other princes would scold the soldier if he had fallen asleep, but this prince was different; he found it amusing. That was the only reason for not scolding the guards and ordering for new ones; only because these ones amused him every time they were around, especially when they would start a conversation.

Things soon fell boring again and the prince rolled his eyes, frowning at the lack of excitement. Like every teen, he wished that he wasn't cooped up and under constant watch. Well, he didn't know very many princes, but most them were always ordering for guards to follow them everywhere. They always spoke about politics and religion, two topics that the silver-haired prince wasn't particularly interested in. Both of them were boring topics to the 16 year old and he had no will to speak of such things, especially since the countries had very different religions.

The silver-haired teenager sighed and rested his head back, shifting his body slightly so that his arms crossed over his stomach. He closed his eyes as his face was turned towards the high ceiling. His breathing was steady and calm, his features peaceful. Sure, he wasn't asleep, but anybody could think that the prince had fallen to the clutches of slumber. However, he was 'awoken' when he heard the clanking of metal as if someone were running. No… not someone. There was more than one person; and shouting. That was a lot of that. The prince couldn't make out most of the shouts, but it was something about one of the kaigos1 escaping from the pen in the courtyard near the forest.

Aquamarine eyes were forced open as the prince sat up in his throne only so that he could stand up. All of the guards in the throne room had run to the palace doors, leaving the prince unguarded. The teenager merely smirked and quickly removed his robe, revealing that he was wearing only a pair of baggy pants made out of a brown cloth. He wore no shirt, so his bare, slightly muscle-toned chest was exposed to the relatively cool air. Hey; anybody would think that 100 degree temperature was a cool relief when they had been wearing heavy robes that held in heat rather than releasing it.

He quickly removed his bracelets, setting them on the pile of robes in his throne. He was thankful that he rarely wore shoes when he was around the palace and quickly darted for the nearest opening, which thankfully wasn't far away from his throne. He sprinted through the narrow opening, pushing away the red cloth that was covering it. He had to push off the wall of the small hallway and sprint once more when he was out of the throne room. He heard the guard's chatter about the prince being 'gone', but he ignored it and continued sprinting.

He knew that if he stopped, the guards would no doubt catch him. He knew that only because he heard the clinking of metal following his own footsteps as well as yells for him to stop. The prince ignored these orders, scoffing at them. He, the _prince_ was being ordered to stop when it should've been the other way. _Well… At least they're using 'Your Majesty'…_ he thought with a sigh before quickly turning the corner. He let out a muffled yell as a hand flew to cover his mouth and he was pulled into a small room. A smaller body was pressed against his own as he was pinned to a wall.

The prince frowned and struggled to get free, letting out irritated grunts as he had no prevail. Damn this boy was strong, though he too seemed to have quite a hard time holding the prince in one spot. Aquamarine eyes met ocean blue ones, though the blue ones were glaring at the prince. The brunette leaned closer, standing on his tiptoes as his lips came near the prince's ears. The prince instantly froze, surprised at how small the other's frame was. "Do you _want_ to be caught by the guards?" he asked in a soft whisper. "I'm guessing not, seeing how you were running away from them. Now shut up or else we will get caught."

The prince nodded then fell completely silent, listening to the sound of echoing footsteps out in the maze people called a 'hallway'. In the mean time as he waited, he examined this unfamiliar boy. The other was around his age, though he looked a bit younger. He had slightly tanned skin and his shorts only went to about his knees, though they were rolled up. He wore no shoes, but then again, not many people of the prince's kingdom wore shoes indoors and some didn't wear shoes at all unless they really needed them.

Along with this, the boy had a round face and cinnamon locks. Other than the smudge of dirt on his nose, he looked otherwise clean. Even his clothes had barely any patches of dirt, though there were a few places where the cloth was sewn back together or another piece of clothing was sewn where there once was a hole. He had only one silver charm around his neck, but for some reason, the prince couldn't even see the boy wearing a simple ring. Upon further inspection, the prince noticed that the charm was in the shape of a small crown, the symbol of his kingdom.

After the footsteps faded, the brunette pulled away, releasing the silver-haired male from his grasp. He turned back to the piles of treasure and walked over to it, crouching down next to it before picking up a silver coin. He inspected it, turning it over, but then threw it over his shoulder and moved on to a thin gold chain. He dropped it and picked up a wooden cup decorated with ruby jewels on the top, near the rim. He hummed then set it down next to him.

The prince frowned and walked over to the other, sitting down next to him. He looked at the boy, who seemed lost in thought as he examined a jewel he had found within the pile. The jewel was the color of the brunette's eyes; so much so that if he were to hold up the jewel to his eye, one could not tell the difference between the two colors. The silver-haired male reached forward and grabbed the jewel from the brunette, causing the other to let out a short cry.

He examined the piece with disinterest, turning it over and over in his hands. He had seen it so many times that he could no longer marvel at how much such a small piece could seem to shine so much. "Manaki. It's a rare stone found in the Junsei mines not far from here. Even so, they're still really rare. Only the Royal Family and their servants have been able to even lay eyes upon it, it's that rare," he explained. "It gives off its own light in the darkest of places, allowing one to see where they're going if they're able to get a hold of a piece only the size of their thumb. Any bigger than that and a cave as large as this palace would light up as if it were daylight."

The brunette rolled his eyes at the prince's description before snatching the piece away. He held it up as the silver-haired boy glared at him. "Yes, I know what this is. I've heard legends of it. The Gods created it so that travelers wouldn't lose their way, but the stone was so precious and full of magic that the Gods banished it from the human world and granted it upon the Tabijo family, though in small quantities. That's why they're so expensive; they're rare," he replied. When the prince reached for it, the brunette flipped it out of his fingers in the air and caught it, his fingers covering the whole stone for it was the size of his thumb.

He smirked before standing up, keeping the stone in his hand before slipping it into the pouch around his waist that the silver-haired male had just noticed. "Now let's get some more of this stuff before the guards find us and lock us up for stealing. I'm sure you're here to get some of this loot as well. The best stuff you can find in all of Kinamo is found here, in this treasury. We'll make a fortune selling this stuff," he said before grabbing a sack that was hidden behind one of the piles. He paused then looked at the other. "But that doesn't mean that I'm sharing you with you. I found this place first, so I get… 75% of the loot."

The silver-haired male frowned and stood up, crossing his arms. He looked at the brunette, examining him. He never thought that he would encounter a thief. Hell, he never knew that he himself could be thought of as a thief! "Tell me, boy… What's your name?" he asked as calmly as he could, deciding to play along. That is, until he found out this boy's identity.

The brunette blinked, as if confused. He hesitated a bit, slinging the bag over his shoulder so that it hung there. "Umm… Sora. Why?" he replied, though he seemed a little nervous about it.

"Alright. Sora. So that's your name. Well, 'Sora', I hate to tell you this, but I'll have to throw you in the dungeon and lock you up," the prince replied casually, waving his hand a bit as if he were talking about the weather. Sora's eyes widened as the other spoke again and the bag dropped to the floor. "For you see… I _am_ part of the royal family; Riku, to be exact; son of Lucas and Marium, both of which passed away when I was 12. Surely you would know your own prince by now, just like you would know your parents."

Sora remained silent and shifting slightly, ducking his head for he knew that he could be aught. Even if he had tried to escape, he could hear the guards running down the hallways. They would know for sure that he were a thief. Even if they didn't, the prince would most likely just call the guards on him.

Riku sighed and shook his head. "I'm ashamed, really… What will your parents think of you? I mean, come on… Do you really think you would get away with such a crime?" he continued, noticing how Sora had remained silent and still. He paused for a moment, listening to the approaching footsteps. "Hm. Looks like they're here." He reached forward and grabbed the necklace on Sora's neck, yanking it from him. The chain broke with barely any effort, though the boy tumbled forward. Riku grabbed the chain and looked at the dangling pendant, knowing very well that the guards were too near for him to worry about whether or not Sora would escape. "Hm. Stolen, most likely. A fine piece of jewelry, made from silver."

He looked up to see the boy shaking his head, tears forming in his eyes. Sora rushed forward and tried to grab the necklace only to have it pulled out of his reach. "Give it back! Give it back!" he yelled, his voice echoing through the small room. He began to jump for it, his hand frantically reaching for the piece of jewelry that dangled from Riku's raised hand. "I didn't steal it, I swear!"

"Then where did you get it? Surely you couldn't have afforded such a large amount of silver."

"My mother! My mother gave it to me when she passed away! Just please… Give it back!"

"Prove to me that you didn't steal this. Prove to me that your mother had truly died and that this piece of expensive jewelry was given to you. Then _maybe_, just maybe, I'll give it back to you."

The brunette stopped jumping and stood in silence. He clenched his hands at his sides and ducked his head, clenching his teeth as his bangs shrouded his eyes. The prince watched Sora for a moment before he cried out as pain surged through his shin. He dropped the piece of jewelry, though it didn't even touch the ground. The brunette quickly dove for it and grabbed it, sprinting off to a random corner. There, he stood which the necklace close to his heart. He looked at Riku with anger and hatred in his eyes, though it was also mixed with sorrow and hurt. Tears streamed down the boys cheeks.

Riku frowned and stormed up to the boy and raised his hand, ready to punch the living daylights out of the brunette. He was just about to deliver the blow when the brunette closed his eyes tightly and looked away, shaking in fear and his breath coming out in raggedly. He had his arms crossed over his chest, as if waiting for the blow to come. There was nothing for a moment, not even a small hit on the head for scolding. Both boys were frozen, one of them because of terror, the other because of something completely different.

The prince finally sighed, giving up. He lowered his raised fist slowly, his muscles loosening up. The brunette continued to shake in fear, still waiting for the punch that he thought was going to come. Riku stood there for a moment, watching the other for he didn't know what to do. He soon found himself wrapping his arms around Sora and pulling him close, stroking the other's head in a relaxing motion. The action causes the brunette's breathe to hitch, though it was only for a second before it continued.

"Stop crying. I understand that you didn't steal that. But because you have committed a crime, I still have to punish you," Riku said softly, not letting go of Sora, though it was quite awkward for him to show such a soft side. He remained silent for a minute as he felt arms wrap around his waist and Sora buried his head into Riku's chest. The silver-haired teenager sighed. "For your punishment, you must become my personal servant and do whatever you are told until I release you of your duty and feel that you have paid off your wrong deeds. You are not to leave my side and must accompany me everywhere unless I tell you otherwise."

The older teen pulled away once he was sure the other had stopped crying and luckily, the guards had just figured out about Riku's location and came pouring into the treasury. They questioned as to whom Sora was and if he should be put in the dungeon, but Riku told all of the guards the same thing. "He will not be put in the dungeon. He is my personal servant. He was sent here to get me some things for my room, but he hadn't come back for a while. I thought he had gotten lost in the castle once more, but it seems like I have been mistaken."

Sora looked up at Riku in astonishment. Never before had he seen such kindness coming from a prince. The other hadn't even told the guards what had really happened! Yet, despite that, he seemed as if he were telling the truth. The silver-haired male caught the brunette's astonished gaze and merely flashed a small smile before dismissing the guards. When Riku began leaving, Sora stood there in wonderment, watching the silver-haired male. And for a moment, just for a moment, he could've sworn he had seen a pair of wings where the scars on the other's back were. He could only nod and jog to catch up when the prince had asked if he were coming.

---

**Chapter Glossary**

Junsei – The capital city of Kinamo, located in the South.

Kaigo – A type of large cat that lurks in the grasslands and jungles of Estorve. Most kaigos have beautiful fur with darker spots on their head. Their fur is usually all shades of grey, though some are known to have a more golden-brown look, much like a lion. Their powerful legs quickly carry them over vast distances, making them prized steeds. Though because of their temper, they are mostly kept for show at home and rarely ever travel.

Kiragi generation – The first generation when the kingdom was built almost 1000 years before the Tabijo generation. The king and queen of this generation had the last name of Kiragi and were very much like today's Tabijo generation(see Tabijo generation).

Manaki – A rare stone made of a dark blue. The stone has many mystifying qualities, including how bright it shines in a room. They're only found in the Junsei mines, though even then they are hard to find. The Royal family has barely any of this precious stone, but large quantities of this stone are said to be hidden deep within the castle, hidden from those who may use the powers of this stone in the wrong way.

Tabijo generation – The most recent generation, all of the family members relatives to the Kiragi generation(see Kiragi generation). The family mainly consists of humans, though some are said to have too pure of a heart to be only human. Because of the most recent war, most of the line has been destroyed, save for Riku Tabijo.


End file.
